We haven't heard from Miroku in a while . . . How's he coping after Kura's "death"?
I'd like to thank Kat Morning for the setting of my story, which is based on the alternate universe of her inu fanfic "Blood Ties."
Disclaimer: I do not own Miroku, Sesshomeru, Sango, Kohaku, or any other Inuyasha characters. They are owned by their author/creator, Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 13: Sango's Charm
Miroku left his motorbike parked outside the hotel and searched for room number 349. When he found the door, he took a deep breath and knocked.
The young woman who opened it had a cheerful face and was wearing, Miroku noticed immediately, a rather short skirt. Taking in the hint of perfume and the stylish wedges, Miroku realized that he had made a mistake: this clearly wasn't the room the Demon Hunters were staying in. "So sorry," he said, with a hint of a flirtatious smile, "I think this is the wrong room.
As he turned to go, the woman asked, "Miroku? It's me, Sango. We spoke on the phone." Miroku stared at her, bewildered. This was the leader of a squad from the national Council? She was too . . . well, pretty. And fashionable. And much too cheerful. "Won't you come in?" she asked.
The squad had rented a suite of rooms, but even so every inch of floor space was covered with sleeping bags. Sango introduced him to all of her fighters. The first one was a grinning, wide-faced young man named "Yuhi," who Miroku identified as the second-in-command. The rest of the names and people became jumbled in his mind until she said, "And last, this is Kohaku." Miroku looked into the brown eyes of a shy boy who could not have been older than fourteen. He was the same age as Miroku's own little sister, but he was on a fighting squad!
Sango smiled at his confusion. "Not quite what you expected, hm? Don't be fooled. My brother Kohaku and I have been active Council members since we were ten years old, and exterminating demons is in our blood. We may not look like warriors, but the fifteen of us get the job done." Sango's grin turned mischievous as she added, "On the other hand, right now we just need to relax. Why don't you show us around Tokyo, Miroku?
Miroku blinked, and held up the folder he was carrying, labeled "Council-approved techniques for the extermination of the undead." He said, "I thought you wanted to talk about tactics and killing vamps.
Sango said, "Sure, sure, but can't we do that later? We just came off a tough assignment in Kyoto, and I've never been to Tokyo before. It would be such a waste to spend the whole day studying. Come on, guys, let's go!
Miroku found himself showing the team around places in Tokyo he liked, and enjoying it immensely. Everyone in Sango's group was relaxed and cheerful, as if they really enjoyed coming to fight vampires and demons.
"We do, of course." Sango replied when he asked her about it over lunch. "We wouldn't be demon hunters if we didn't like the life.
"How can you enjoy risking your lives?" Miroku retorted, stung.
"Is it dangerous? Yes. But we're all together in this. We don't just fight together. We live together, work together, and we party together.
"Like a big happy family?
"You could say that.
"Do you die together, as well?
Sango's smile faltered. "Miroku, you seem a bit hostile; is something bothering you?
"I just don't see how you can eat sashimi and shop for shoes and accessories, when you could DIE the day after tomorrow! Don't you care?
Sango set down her chopsticks. "There's always the chance of dying tomorrow. Should I stop eating or having fun?
Miroku scowled. "You don't understand how serious this is.
"Listen to me for just a minute. Tokyo's Council has been stretched to the snapping point. With so many deaths in your ranks, and an unknown threat, of course everyone is scared and sad." Sango waved to her friends and continued, "My team faces danger when we're in battle, but we haven't had to deal with the deaths of friends or the horror of fighting an impossible battle, at least not recently. Don't judge us because we aren't as shell-shocked as Tokyo Council's members.
Miroku played with the rice on his plate, ashamed of his attack. All his family members had tiptoed around him recently, afraid that they would set off his anger. He felt as if he was turning into a monster.
Sango reached across the table and put her hand over his. Miroku was grateful that the squad's members had chosen to sit at several different tables around the restaurant, so he and Sango were alone at a table. She said gently, "Did a friend of yours die recently?
"NO! She isn't dead, she's just missing!" The outburst was somewhere between denial and a plea. Sango looked at him with pity, and Miroku felt his cheeks burning with shame.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sango asked, deliberately casual.
"What?
"I don't know you, and I'll be leaving in a week. I won't offer advice, I won't judge you, and I certainly won't tell you how you should cope. I'm just a stranger who's willing to listen to anything you want to say." Miroku was silent, unwilling to admit how much the offer tempted him. Sango leaned across the table and said, "Is there anywhere around here I could buy you a beer and we could talk in private?
They sat opposite each other in a private booth in an American-style bar. Miroku fidgeted, carefully peeling the label off his beer bottle. "I . . . I really don't know what to say . . .
"Why don't you tell me about her?
Miroku shrugged, feeling slightly silly sitting here talking to a complete stranger when he hadn't even told his family that Kura was missing. "Well, she's not like you at all. She acts tough, and she gets really angry sometimes. Killing vampires is the most important thing in her life; that's why she was constantly getting fired from her regular job.
"Regular job? You mean, she wasn't employed by Council?
"You can't feed yourself on a Tokyo Council Senior's wages. I still live at home, but Kura juggled part-time work with demon hunting so she could pay her rent. Still, she never cared about her other jobs; it was like she was settling a personal score with every vampire.
"A personal score? Did something happen to her family or a friend?
Miroku shrugged. "Beats me. She didn't have many friends, she never mentioned a family.
After a long, uncomfortable pause, Sango asked tentatively, "What happened? Did she just-- disappear?
"No. She had a death-wish. Her mentor disappeared, and Kura just . . . I guess the only way she could deal with it was to lash out at everyone: vampires, coworkers, friends . . .
"You had a fight?
Miroku shredded up the beer bottle's label. "Yeah. Then she went out without backup, without her cellphone, without telling anyone where she was going. Now, I can't even tell her I'm sorry about what I said just before she left." Miroku made a fist and punched the table as hard as he could. "Or wring her damned neck for being so reckless!
Sango sat quietly while Miroku tried to get control of himself, then gave up and began to cry. It wasn't graceful; his anger and grief and guilt all melted together into violent, racking sobs that tore out of his throat. When his tears subsided, Sango asked, "Feel better?
"Actually, I've got a headache now. But yeah, I've been needing to let that out.
"Good. Now let's get out of here. There's a cute little boutique we passed on the way here; I want to check it out before we meet up with the others.
Miroku smiled weakly. "You're really nothing like her.
"Comes from loving my job. That's something you should try to remember, as soon as Tokyo is no longer besieged by the supernatural.
Her smile was completely natural, and her excitement at being in the city was contagious. By the time they returned to her apartment, Miroku was convinced that she was the most carefree girl in the world. After going over battle tactics, with her that evening, he was forced to admit that she was also very sharp. At Miroku's house that evening, his family noticed a huge improvement in his mood. While loading the dishwasher, his mother told his grandfather how happy she was that he and his girlfriend had finally gotten over their argument.
I'd like to thank Kat Morning for the setting of my story, which is based on the alternate universe of her inu fanfic "Blood Ties."
Disclaimer: I do not own Miroku, Sesshomeru, Sango, Kohaku, or any other Inuyasha characters. They are owned by their author/creator, Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 13: Sango's Charm
Miroku left his motorbike parked outside the hotel and searched for room number 349. When he found the door, he took a deep breath and knocked.
The young woman who opened it had a cheerful face and was wearing, Miroku noticed immediately, a rather short skirt. Taking in the hint of perfume and the stylish wedges, Miroku realized that he had made a mistake: this clearly wasn't the room the Demon Hunters were staying in. "So sorry," he said, with a hint of a flirtatious smile, "I think this is the wrong room.
As he turned to go, the woman asked, "Miroku? It's me, Sango. We spoke on the phone." Miroku stared at her, bewildered. This was the leader of a squad from the national Council? She was too . . . well, pretty. And fashionable. And much too cheerful. "Won't you come in?" she asked.
The squad had rented a suite of rooms, but even so every inch of floor space was covered with sleeping bags. Sango introduced him to all of her fighters. The first one was a grinning, wide-faced young man named "Yuhi," who Miroku identified as the second-in-command. The rest of the names and people became jumbled in his mind until she said, "And last, this is Kohaku." Miroku looked into the brown eyes of a shy boy who could not have been older than fourteen. He was the same age as Miroku's own little sister, but he was on a fighting squad!
Sango smiled at his confusion. "Not quite what you expected, hm? Don't be fooled. My brother Kohaku and I have been active Council members since we were ten years old, and exterminating demons is in our blood. We may not look like warriors, but the fifteen of us get the job done." Sango's grin turned mischievous as she added, "On the other hand, right now we just need to relax. Why don't you show us around Tokyo, Miroku?
Miroku blinked, and held up the folder he was carrying, labeled "Council-approved techniques for the extermination of the undead." He said, "I thought you wanted to talk about tactics and killing vamps.
Sango said, "Sure, sure, but can't we do that later? We just came off a tough assignment in Kyoto, and I've never been to Tokyo before. It would be such a waste to spend the whole day studying. Come on, guys, let's go!
Miroku found himself showing the team around places in Tokyo he liked, and enjoying it immensely. Everyone in Sango's group was relaxed and cheerful, as if they really enjoyed coming to fight vampires and demons.
"We do, of course." Sango replied when he asked her about it over lunch. "We wouldn't be demon hunters if we didn't like the life.
"How can you enjoy risking your lives?" Miroku retorted, stung.
"Is it dangerous? Yes. But we're all together in this. We don't just fight together. We live together, work together, and we party together.
"Like a big happy family?
"You could say that.
"Do you die together, as well?
Sango's smile faltered. "Miroku, you seem a bit hostile; is something bothering you?
"I just don't see how you can eat sashimi and shop for shoes and accessories, when you could DIE the day after tomorrow! Don't you care?
Sango set down her chopsticks. "There's always the chance of dying tomorrow. Should I stop eating or having fun?
Miroku scowled. "You don't understand how serious this is.
"Listen to me for just a minute. Tokyo's Council has been stretched to the snapping point. With so many deaths in your ranks, and an unknown threat, of course everyone is scared and sad." Sango waved to her friends and continued, "My team faces danger when we're in battle, but we haven't had to deal with the deaths of friends or the horror of fighting an impossible battle, at least not recently. Don't judge us because we aren't as shell-shocked as Tokyo Council's members.
Miroku played with the rice on his plate, ashamed of his attack. All his family members had tiptoed around him recently, afraid that they would set off his anger. He felt as if he was turning into a monster.
Sango reached across the table and put her hand over his. Miroku was grateful that the squad's members had chosen to sit at several different tables around the restaurant, so he and Sango were alone at a table. She said gently, "Did a friend of yours die recently?
"NO! She isn't dead, she's just missing!" The outburst was somewhere between denial and a plea. Sango looked at him with pity, and Miroku felt his cheeks burning with shame.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sango asked, deliberately casual.
"What?
"I don't know you, and I'll be leaving in a week. I won't offer advice, I won't judge you, and I certainly won't tell you how you should cope. I'm just a stranger who's willing to listen to anything you want to say." Miroku was silent, unwilling to admit how much the offer tempted him. Sango leaned across the table and said, "Is there anywhere around here I could buy you a beer and we could talk in private?
They sat opposite each other in a private booth in an American-style bar. Miroku fidgeted, carefully peeling the label off his beer bottle. "I . . . I really don't know what to say . . .
"Why don't you tell me about her?
Miroku shrugged, feeling slightly silly sitting here talking to a complete stranger when he hadn't even told his family that Kura was missing. "Well, she's not like you at all. She acts tough, and she gets really angry sometimes. Killing vampires is the most important thing in her life; that's why she was constantly getting fired from her regular job.
"Regular job? You mean, she wasn't employed by Council?
"You can't feed yourself on a Tokyo Council Senior's wages. I still live at home, but Kura juggled part-time work with demon hunting so she could pay her rent. Still, she never cared about her other jobs; it was like she was settling a personal score with every vampire.
"A personal score? Did something happen to her family or a friend?
Miroku shrugged. "Beats me. She didn't have many friends, she never mentioned a family.
After a long, uncomfortable pause, Sango asked tentatively, "What happened? Did she just-- disappear?
"No. She had a death-wish. Her mentor disappeared, and Kura just . . . I guess the only way she could deal with it was to lash out at everyone: vampires, coworkers, friends . . .
"You had a fight?
Miroku shredded up the beer bottle's label. "Yeah. Then she went out without backup, without her cellphone, without telling anyone where she was going. Now, I can't even tell her I'm sorry about what I said just before she left." Miroku made a fist and punched the table as hard as he could. "Or wring her damned neck for being so reckless!
Sango sat quietly while Miroku tried to get control of himself, then gave up and began to cry. It wasn't graceful; his anger and grief and guilt all melted together into violent, racking sobs that tore out of his throat. When his tears subsided, Sango asked, "Feel better?
"Actually, I've got a headache now. But yeah, I've been needing to let that out.
"Good. Now let's get out of here. There's a cute little boutique we passed on the way here; I want to check it out before we meet up with the others.
Miroku smiled weakly. "You're really nothing like her.
"Comes from loving my job. That's something you should try to remember, as soon as Tokyo is no longer besieged by the supernatural.
Her smile was completely natural, and her excitement at being in the city was contagious. By the time they returned to her apartment, Miroku was convinced that she was the most carefree girl in the world. After going over battle tactics, with her that evening, he was forced to admit that she was also very sharp. At Miroku's house that evening, his family noticed a huge improvement in his mood. While loading the dishwasher, his mother told his grandfather how happy she was that he and his girlfriend had finally gotten over their argument.